Our Mission

Our Mission

We Are Committed to Stopping Alzheimers by 2020

USAgainstAlzheimer’s (USA2) is a relentless force committed to ending Alzheimer's by 2020. Driven by the suffering of millions of families, USAgainstAlzheimer's presses for greater urgency from government, industry and the scientific community in the quest for an Alzheimer's cure. We accomplish this through effective leadership, collaborative advocacy and strategic investments.

Our Mission

Our Theory of Change

USAgainstAlzheimer’s theory of change is rooted in the strong belief that we, the American people, can create the national will to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s by pressuring our political, business and civic leaders to devote the necessary resources to outcomes-oriented research and to reform the drug development systems that currently slow the development and availability of promising treatments. We call this "leadership for the cure." And it works.

To achieve our audacious but achievable goal we must:

Increase public and private-sector resources committed to stopping Alzheimer's disease.

Accelerate the drug development process to deliver therapies to all those in need.

Bring dramatic improvements to the standards and systems of care for people living with Alzheimer's and those who care for them.

New research says Alzheimer's disease claimed 500,000 lives last year in America, with more than 5 million victims slowly dying of the disease and 44.4 million people world-wide battling some form of dementia. These victims are cared for by 15 million caregivers in the United States and 100 million world-wide. Additional research shows that the direct care costs of Alzheimer's exceed those of cancer and heart disease. Despite these challenges, we believe what leading researchers tell us: that disease-modifying treatments and a cure are within reach if we commit the necessary level of funds to Alzheimer's research.

USAgainstAlzheimer's is mobilizing the most deeply affected communities: Women, African Americans, Latinos, Clergy, Researchers and Caregivers. Each of these coalitions is united under the single relentless force of USAgainstAlzheimer's, dedicated to stopping the disease and caring for those touched by it.

Our Accomplishments

In a short time, USA2 has worked across sectors to accomplish many milestone successes, including:

Securing the national goal of preventing and effectively treating Alzheimer's by 2025 through the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease (NAPA) and helping secure more than $200 million in additional public funding for Alzheimer's research over the past few years.

Driving global efforts that resulted in the leaders of the world's most powerful nations, the G7 group, to embrace a similar 2025 goal and call for greater levels of investment and collaboration.

Creating a national, grassroots coalition of more than 70 organizations/corporations and 140,000 individuals; and forming networks that reach nearly 115 million people.

Catalyzing action by driving more than 20,000 people to help accelerate our efforts to stop Alzheimer's through our online advocacy campaigns in 2014 focused on increased research funding, the Caregivers Social Security Credit of 2014 and other targeted campaigns.

Driving the convening of a growing global effort with the appointment of our Chairman, George Vradenburg, to the World Dementia Council.

Rewarding innovative models and methods that may revolutionize the speed and accuracy with which scientific data is collected, shared and used.

Inspiring clearer research milestones to measure NAPA's progress and working collaboratively with all relevant federal agencies, including the NIH, FDA, Medicare/Medicaid and DOD to support the 2025 and other national goals.

Our Coalition

USAgainstAlzheimer’s is a 501(c)(4) organization engaging in public advocacy, federal relations, grassroots activity and voter education.

USAgainstAlzheimer's Network is a 501(c)(3) organization connecting networks of organizations and individuals to take action to end Alzheimer’s by 2020, while providing the general public, policy leaders and the media with vital information about Alzheimer’s disease.

USAgainstAlzheimer’s PAC is an Alzheimer’s-centric political action committee that contributes to the campaigns of candidates supportive of Alzheimer’s issues.

Building Networks

To further accelerate our progress and ensure Alzheimer’s receives the national attention it deserves, we are building networks of influencers and activists, mobilizing the communities most deeply affected by Alzheimer's and dementia: Caregivers and loved ones with Alzheimer's, African Americans, Clergy, Latinos, Women and Researchers. Each network includes a target audience, its own unique programming and staff support.

Capitalizes and builds on the energies of highly-motivated Alzheimer’s activists, who are on the frontlines of efforts in their communities or nationally. Members of the Network help us build a more wide-spread movement by serving as ambassadors in their communities and bringing others into the fight to end Alzheimer’s.

Gives voice to women who bear the major burden of the Alzheimer’s crisis and arms women with the information and easy-to-use connections needed to be heard in Washington, in state capitals, by industry leaders and the research community.

Why 2020?

USAgainstAlzheimer’s has retained its goal of stopping Alzheimer’s by 2020 rather than endorsing the goal of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease that calls for preventing and effectively treating the disease by 2025. While we support the national plan and its goals, we believe, as most every family touched by Alzheimer’s disease believes, that preventing and effectively treating Alzheimer's by 2025 is simply too long a wait for concrete progress. There are promising avenues of drug discovery and development that will, if successful, deliver a means of slowing or deferring Alzheimer's symptoms by 2020. By voicing the urgency felt by so many families, we will pressure researchers and industry to do all in their power to make that happen.